Health systems in much of the developed world are facing spikes in COVID-19 cases largely due to the omicron variant that has spread very rapidly around the world.
Britain's Health Secretary Sajid Javid warned on Friday that hospital admissions were increasing and said the country's health system was facing "a difficult few weeks."
In Asia, Siri Lankan health authorities began vaccinating 12-15-year-olds on Friday to combat a wave of covid cases, also driven by the omicron variant.
And in Japan, the government approved new restrictions on Friday in the southwestern regions of Okinawa, Yamaguchi and Hiroshima to stem the increase in coronavirus cases.
Nippon country restrictions include reduced hours for restaurants and bans on large-scale events.
Record brands
In the midst of this rebound, the world has hit record numbers regarding the development of the pandemic
The Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Resource Center report This Saturday that has registered 303.2 million cases of infections worldwide, since the disease was discovered in January 2020 in China. The deaths registered to date are 5.5 million.
The research center, based in Baltimore, United States, also announced that in terms of administered vaccines, the volume is estimated at 98.3 billion vaccines, to date.
Citigroup: Vaccinated or on the street
Financial giant Citigroup in the US has issued a mandatory mandate for its employees that they have to be vaccinated before January 14.
Those who do not comply with the ordinance will be placed on administrative leave without pay starting Friday and would face dismissal, in addition to losing last year's bonuses.
* Some information for this story comes from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
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